[Shabelle] Several MPs in Somalia Federal Parliament have on Sunday called for boosting up the ongoing military operations against Al shabab fighters in south and central Somalia.

Dahir Amin Jesow, one of the Somalia's new politicians, urged Somali government officials to step up war on Al shabab until they are being rooted out of the entire country. He has been attacked in Lower Shabelle region during his recent visit by Al shabab.

The call comes as Somali forces along with AMISOM soldiers are making gains against Al shabab. The allied forces secured the capital last year and that opened door to seize some key town in south following months of offensives.

[Al Ahram] Ahmed Fahmi, chairman of the Islamist-dominated Shura Council (the upper, consultative house of Egypt's parliament), seized on Thursday's council session to criticise the constitutional declaration issued by President Mohamed Morsi on 22 November.

"We had hopes that President Morsi would put the constitutional declaration before a national referendum," Fahmi said. He also argued that the declaration "has severely divided the nation into Islamists and civilians." Fahmi urged Morsi to conduct a national dialogue with all forces to put an end to the crisis triggered by the declaration.

Fahmi's comments came as a surprise to many, given that not only is the chairman of the Shura Council a leading member of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) -- the political arm of Moslem Brüderbund from which Morsi hails -- but he is also a relative of Morsi himself.

In its brief debate over Morsi's declaration, the council itself was divided into supporters and opponents. Islamists, led by FJP and the ultraconservative Salafist Nour Party, hailed Morsi's declaration.

Tarek El-Sehari, a Salafist and the deputy Shura Council chairman, said the declaration "is a necessity, with a view to the fact that the Mubarak-appointed judges and prosecutors failed to refer the diehards of the former regime to trial or put a stop to their attempts to dissolve the Shura Council and the constitution-drafting assembly, and have indulged in thuggery and hooliganism under the banner of commemorating the revolution."

"These criminals can never be branded as 'revolutionary forces' and should rather be sent to trial as required by the constitutional declaration," said El-Sehary. "Everyone has the right to criticise the president, but nobody -- especially those who failed to secure seats in the last parliamentary elections -- has the right to attack public property or incite violence."

El-Sehary sharply directed attacks against those who "resorted to insults" when criticising Morsi's declaration. He argued that the building of a new Egypt should not come at the expense of putting obstacles in the way of a democratically-elected president.

Ezzeddin El-Qomi, a leading FJP official, opened fire on the independent Judges' Club, arguing that it "is only a social club, which should be concerned with achieving the personal needs of its members rather than becoming a political forum for judges."

The Judges' Union announced yesterday that courts would organise a strike to protest Morsi's declaration.

According to El-Qomi, Morsi's declaration is aimed at thwarting internal and international conspiracies to destabilize Egypt. "This declaration is a necessity, but it came too late because some judicial authorities are doing their best to dissolve all elected institutions -- especially parliament," he said.

Tarek Mostafa, another FJP member, said the constitutional declaration "simply aims to ensure stability for a temporary period of time until a new parliament is elected." He sharply attacked "those who launched terrorist attacks and torched the headquarters of the FJP in several cities across Egypt."

Saad Emara, another FJP member, fired a barrage of attacks against the European Union...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... and the US, "which rushed to criticise the declaration" and "the bad coverage by private television satellite channels." He added: "This demonstrates that our enemies are doing their best to meddle in our own affairs and cause instability."

[Al Ahram] The office of the president released a statement to the media Sunday assuring that the constitutional declaration issued by President Mohamed Morsi last week is only a temporary measure, necessary to follow up on corruption crimes and protect elected bodies.
The statement said there is a need to hold accountable those responsible of corruption under the former regime and during the transitional period, as well as to attain the rights of the revolution's deaders, which can only be accomplished by the declaration.

"The presidency reiterates the temporary nature of the said measures, which are not meant to concentrate powers, but on the contrary to devolve it to democratically elected parliament and to avoid any attempt to undermine or abort two democratically elected bodies (the upper house of parliament and the Constituent Assembly), as well as preserving the impartiality of the judiciary and to void politicising it," the statement read.

The statement also sought to assure the country's political forces will all be included in a national dialogue to reach consensus over the constitution.

Meanwhile,...back at the alley, Slats Chumbaloni was staring into a hole that was just .45 inch in diameter and was less than three feet from his face ... President Morsi has been holding meetings with advisors and aides to discuss the current crisis that followed the new constitutional declaration.

[Al Ahram] The Journalists Syndicate Council announced Tuesday its withdrawal from Egypt's Constituent Assembly, citing the assembly's refusal to listen to the syndicate's recommendations.

The decision came after an urgent council meeting that resulted in a unanimous vote in favour of withdrawal.

The council criticised what it said were violations of freedom of expression in the current draft constitution. Moreover, it criticised the assembly's disregard for journalists' demands to protect press independence, to prohibit the closing down of media outlets or the confiscation of newspapers.

Last week, Journalists Syndicate Secretary-General Gamal Fahmy threatened to withdraw from the assembly in protest at the draft articles.

Fahmy, who writes for Al-Tahrir newspaper, was among a number of prominent journalists who in August left their columns blank in protest at what they said was an attempt by the Moslem Brüderbund to control state-owned newspapers and publications.

Tuesday also saw the Farmers Syndicate representative, Mohamed Abdel-Qader, withdraw from the assembly, saying the farmers' constitutional demands were ignored. Those include that the state provides irrigation and reclaimed lands for youth.

On Thursday, representatives of all of Egypt's Churches met and agreed to withdraw from the Islamist-led assembly in protest at a number of articles revealed in the latest draft.

The beleaguered assembly has already suffered a number of withdrawals since 11 June, when the 'Egyptian Bloc' parties -- including the Free Egyptians, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party and the leftist Tagammu Party -- initiated a walk-out, followed by the Karama Party, the Socialist Popular Alliance Party and the Democratic Front Party, to allow greater representation for women, young people and Coptic Christians, while also registering their objection to "Islamist monopolisation" of the assembly.

Meanwhile,...back at the precinct house, Sergeant Maloney wasn't buying it. It was just too pat. It smelled phony... the assembly is still facing the risk of dissolution by court order due to a case challenging the constitutionality of the law which set the criteria for choosing its members. The 100 assembly members were chosen by the now-dissolved parliament, which was ruled unconstitutional by the High Constitutional Court (HCC) in mid-June.

On 23 October, the Supreme Administrative Court referred the lawsuit challenging the assembly's constitutionality to the HCC, which is yet to issue its verdict. It has been claimed that some assembly members are attempting to draft the constitution quickly and submit it for a national referendum before the court issues its verdict.

The first assembly was dissolved in April after a court ruling stated it was not representative of Egyptian society. The same criticism is being directed at the current constitution-drafting body.

[Telegraph.CO.UK] As police continued to fight battles with protesters around Tahrir Square in Cairo on Sunday, Mr Morsi issued a statement stressing that the power seizure was only "temporary" and calling for political dialogue.

He also agreed to meet Egypt's judges on Monday to negotiate a solution to the crisis.

"The presidency reiterates the temporary nature of those measures, which are not intended to concentrate power," the statement said.

"The presidency stresses its firm commitment to engage all political forces in the inclusive democratic dialogue to reach a common ground."

#15
Leading opposition figures including Mohammed ElBaradei, the former head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency, Amr Moussa, the former head of the Arab League, and Abdelmoneim Aboul Fotouh, a moderate Islamist who challenged Mr Morsi for the presidency, announced the formation of a "National Salvation Front" to fight the decision.

[Yemen Post] Yemen President Abdurabu Mansour Hadi...the second and possibly the last president of Yemen, successor to former President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh... said on Saturday that Al-Qaeda is behind economic recession in Yemen.

During his reception to the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc in Sana'a, Hadi affirmed that Yemen suffers from Al-Qaeda that severely damaged the national economy.

"Terrorism has no nation, borders... all international states should cooperate to combat and eradicate it" he added.

He also said that Al-Qaeda's target against Yemen's economy distracted investments and led to the increase of unemployment.

During the meeting, Hadi received a letter from his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, regarding regional and international issues.

Hadi stressed the importance of enhancing commercial exchange, praising Turkish development in all fields.

A number of high-ranking Turkish officials including the Foreign Minister visited Yemen during the few past months and Turkey granted Yemen about $100 million.

According to official statistics, Yemen lost about $3 billion during offensives that Yemeni launched against Al-Qaeda last year.

After the Yemeni government announced its victory in early June, al-Qaeda carried out a suicide kaboom various governorates and killed the commander of Yemen's southern military region, Salem Qatan.

The Yemeni authorities had stated that they would continue the battle against Al-Qaeda snuffies and that the government will deal with them as citizens in case they were persuaded to abandon violence.

Yemeni officials say Al-Qaeda restored to use other tactics as it assassinated a number of Yemeni military commanders and officers, and carried out suicide kabooms against military and security compounds in the capital Sana'a and other cities

[Yemen Post] The Yemeni authorities gave tribes in Marib province till 9:00 am Monday to negotiate with the saboteurs who bombed the Marib oil pipeline to enable the teams to repair the pipeline, Alsahwa net reported on Sunday.

Marib governor chaired a meeting that gathered tribal elders from the Wadi Abida district and military commanders, and at the meeting, the attendants agreed to give the tribal elders in the district till tomorrow to allow the teams fix the damages to the pipeline, preventing more attacks on it and to remove all road closures and security disorder.

The 272-mile pipeline has been attacked four times in Marib province this month and pumping was halted after the first successive attacks in the Wadi Abida district.

After the attacks, rustics closed roads and have prevented the authorities from fixing the damages.

On Saturday, the state-owned SEPOC warned of a possible fuel crisis in the coming period if the pipeline continues to be down.

The Marib pipeline carries about 110.000 b/d from Marib and Shabwa provinces o the Ras Isa terminal in Hodeida. The crude is transported on the Safer Tanker to the Aden refinery. Part of the crude processed at the refinery is locally consumed.

In New York, rounding up the usual suspects in terrorism cases nowadays may well refer to the defense lawyers.

Katya Jestin, a former prosecutor now in private practice. When asked why she had joined the defense of a Guantánamo detainee, she said, For me its having just a deep belief in the legitimacy of our federal system and the rule of law.

As Islamic terrorists from around the world are brought to Federal District Court in Manhattan or Brooklyn to face prosecution, an extraordinary outgrowth has been a deepening pool of lawyers qualified to represent them. It is a peculiar niche of defense work, requiring skills not always taught in law school.

These lawyers often must obtain government security clearances, and become adept at navigating the laws involving classified information and foreign intelligence searches. They often travel overseas to interview witnesses and a clients family members. Not only do you have the substantive law and the procedural law, but you have the whole cultural orientation, said Anthony L. Ricco, who has represented a series of terrorism defendants over the past two decades.

[Dawn] Federal Interior Minister Rahman Malik on Sunday expressed anger over the Dera Ismail Khan... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ... blast and said that the incident could have been avoided by more vigilance, DawnNews reported.

Malik immediately ordered an investigation into the attack and has also asked for a report from the Khyber Pukhtunkhaw IG.

The minister condemned the bombing of the Muharram procession and said that had the route been cleared by BDS, the blast could have been averted. He also called for the arrest of the shop's owner where the bomb had been planted.

Malik also called the Sindh IG and congratulated him on the success of averting a terrorist attack in Bloody Karachi...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
He said that police must remain alert throughout the time of the procession and ensure security.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has announced that he will retire from political life and won't run in the upcoming elections.

During a surprise press conference on Monday morning, Barak said, "There are many ways to contribute to the state, politics isn't the only one. My decision to retire stems from my desire to devote that time to my family, and also because I have never felt that politics was the height of my ambition."

He said, "I believe that it is important to make way for fresh faces  a turnover in positions of power is a good thing. I made the decision not without qualms but ultimately with a whole heart."

He added that he will continue to serve as defense minister until the next elections. When asked whether he could serve as the next defense minister as a non-elected official, he said the question is "irrelevant."

#4
adds to the mystery of what's going on here. why did they agree to the ceasefire in Gaza? where do they stand vis-a-vis Iran? the differences between Barak and Netanyahu have been growing stronger every week. only time will tell - what this really means.

#7
Israel's successful live-fire exercise tested the IDF mobilization scheme, highlighted the Iranian connection and undoubtedly made visible a number of Iranian communications and logistics venues. It also put a little Rabbi Mint in the Hildebeast's mouth as she trek'd through Israel. Short-term benefits, long-term benefits... all bases covered.

[Al Ahram] Gazoo's ruling Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, movement is to release all prisoners from the rival Fatah movement tossed in the calabooseDon't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! in connection with the political dispute between them, a front man said on Sunday.
"The Hamas government has decided to pardon all cases against Fatah members which are related to the internal division since 2006," Hamas government front man Taher al-Nunu said at a presser in Gazoo City.

He said the government had decided to set up a committee "to implement this decision and establish a new stage of reconciliation." Interior ministry front man Islam Shahwan said there were 22 Fatah members in jail in Gazoo.

The move comes three days after Paleostinian president the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... telephoned Gazoo's Hamas premier Ismail Haniya to congratulate him "on his victory and (offer) condolences for the deaders."

[Al Ahram] Gazoo's Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, government on Sunday announced the creation of a committee to examine the "unlawful executions" of Paleostinians accused of collaborating with Israel during the recent conflict.
"The government has decided to set up a committee to study what happened with the unlawful executions which took place during the aggression," Hamas government front man Taher al-Nunu told news hounds in Gazoo City.

He was referring to at least two incidents during Israel's bombardment of the territory in which seven people accused of "collaborating" with Israel were bumped off.

In both cases, the killings were claimed by the armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

On November 16, a man was rubbed out in Gazoo City after allegedly "providing guidance and information on the locations of the resistance and their rocket launchers to the Israeli occupation," a source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity... for fear of being murdered...
Four days later, gunnies executed six "collaborators" in Gazoo City's Nasser neighbourhood, witnesses told AFP.

A message pinned to their bodies said the men were executed by the Qassam Brigades because they had provided "information about the capabilities of the resistance and their factions" and handed Israel information "about the movement of the fighters."

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev slammed as "unacceptable" the recognition and support by France and other states of the Syrian opposition battling the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Britain and France have joined Turkey and Arabian Peninsula states in recognising a newly formed opposition bloc as the sole representative of the Syrian people. Paris has also suggested arming the opposition fighters.

"From the point of view of international law, this is absolutely unacceptable," Medvedev told Agence France-Presse and Le Figaro newspaper in an interview ahead of a working visit to Paris starting Monday. "I remind you that in line with the principles of international law, no state can take measures aimed at the forced change of a government in another state."

"A desire to change the political regime of another state by recognising a political force as the sole carrier of sovereignty seems to me to be not completely civilised," he added.

France was the first Western state to recognise the newly-formed Syrian National Coalition as the sole representative of the Syrian people and was swiftly joined by Britain, Italy and the European Union.

Paris has also raised the idea of excluding defensive weapons for the rebels from the current blanket EU embargo on Syria. The United States has been more circumspect, saying it is not ready to recognise the oppposition and has appeared wary of arming them.

Medvedev described France's stance as "very controversial".

"Let the Syrian people decide the personal fate of Assad and his regime. It is preferable if they (the opposition forces) came to power legally and not because of deliveries of arms from other countries," he said.

The game is up Iran. North Dakota pumps more oil than you; Pennsylvania more gas. No one will miss you, and all your neighbors hate your guts. It is a shame that all your friends (Hamas, Syria, and Sudan) are getting the sh1t kicked out of them, while you watch.

There is a lot of ruin in a nation. Said Adam Smith. And Iran, you are half way there. Keep doing what you're doing and you can go all-the-way. Trust me, America will happily stand on your head as you go under.

A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.